End of 1830: The Dutch soldiers saw that there was high levels of desertations in the way, therefore, they decided to retreat. They decided to secession from the rule of the Netherlands and declare their own independence. There, a National Congress was created. King William, who owned Belgium, aimed to take back Belgium but failed with the Ten Days’ Campaign.

February 1831: Belgian Constitution is ratified

October 1839: Because of the failed French invasion to re-take Belgium, the Dutch decided to sign the Treaty of London and officially acknowledge Belgian Independence at the London Conference. The London Treaty guarantees Belgian neutrality.

1843: The first mug shots of criminals are taken in Belgium. The mug shots initially were used to have police remember the face of the criminals instead of having to remember how they looked like. However, with the creation, they began profiling the criminals so they can stop the use of aliases. The use of mug shots expanded to different countries and ultimately was able to be used in current day.

1847: The Communist League is officially founded by Marx and Engels. There, in Brussels, is where they began to form the founding principles of the Communist Manifesto. A small circle of the Communist League wrote for the Brussels German Newspaper and tried to influence the Communist Party through their publications.

1888: The Lejeune Law is passed, which allows for criminals to be released on good behavior

June 1912: Belgian works demand universal suffrage

March 1914: First successful blood transfusion occurs in Brussels

1914: Before WWI, the Belgian government declared neutrality if war were to arise. The Belgian government was sent an ultimatum by Germany to allow them to pass through the country in order to attack France. The government refused and Germany declared war on Belgium on August 4 and attacked the city of Liege.

1944: Belgium was officially liberated of four years of Nazi rule in February 1945. The operation to free Belgium began in September 1944 where the Allied forces captured and returned Brussels.

April 1949: The NATO pact is signed. It was the first alliance between all the countries that engaged in war to attempt to make peace. After WWII and all the havoc created, the European nations decided to pay reparations and began re-establish Germany and other countries destroyed from the war and help create their economy back up.